Maintenance & DIY

Gutter Cleaning: DIY It or Pay Someone?

Updated

Nobody has ever enjoyed cleaning gutters, which is why they're the most-skipped chore in home ownership — and why "clogged gutters" quietly sits behind so many four-figure repair bills. Here's the honest cost math, both directions.

Man on a ladder scooping wet leaves out of a gutter

What skipping it actually costs

A clogged gutter doesn't hold water politely. It dumps it against your foundation, backs it under your shingles, and in winter builds the ice dams that peel roofs apart. The downstream repairs — foundation regrading, fascia rot, roof-edge leaks — run from hundreds to five figures. Gutters are one of those boring maintenance items where the entire value is in the disaster that never happens.

Paying someone: $120 – $350

For a typical single-story home, expect $120 – $220 a visit; two-story homes run $200 – $350 because ladder work is slower and riskier. Most homes need it twice a year — late fall after the leaves finish, and spring. Heavily treed lots may need a third pass.

Doing it yourself: about $0 once you own a ladder

The kit is a sturdy extension ladder, work gloves, a scoop (a cut plastic jug works), a bucket with a hook, and a hose to flush the downspouts. Budget two to three hours for a single-story house.

The honest DIY line: single-story house, solid ground, someone home while you're up there — reasonable DIY. Two stories or higher, steep grading, or any wobble in your ladder confidence — pay the $250. Falls from ladders are one of the most common serious DIY injuries there is, and no gutter is worth it.

If you hire it out

Ask if downspout flushing is included — a cleaned gutter feeding a clogged downspout accomplishes nothing.
Ask for photos of the cleared gutters. Reputable crews send them without being asked.
Skip the high-pressure guard-system upsell on the spot. Guards have their place, but a $2,000 decision deserves more than a driveway pitch — get comparison quotes like you would for any other home service.